


Sports Festival (2)

by Catheeso



Series: BNHA AU [4]
Category: CJMind, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All Might is a Bitch, Bre’s competent, Disaster Human Being Everyone, Flirting, Gen, I dont really care tho, I’m starting to piece together One For All, Part 2!, Sports Festival, Surprisingly, am i okay??? the answer is no, not me lol wait for an answer, who gets One For All???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26371597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso
Summary: The third event is on it’s way! Can class 1-A win this? There’s a certain killer going around in Hosu.
Series: BNHA AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883536
Kudos: 1





	1. Shinso Vs. My Obnoxiousness

**Author's Note:**

> I normally don’t post these when they’re not all the way done, but I’m taking a long time with this one so here you go.

“It sounds like mind control,” Kali said when he explained his situation.

He paused mid-sentence and looked up, “what?”

“Shinso’s quirk. Sounds like mind control,” Kali explained. 

“That makes so much sense!” Carter blurted out. “He asks you a question and then takes control of you! Pain takes you out and it also explains why he didn’t get into Heroics.” He turned to Kali and took her by the shoulders. “You’re a genius!”

“I know,” Kali said smugly. Carter bounced in his seat as he tried to figure out what that meant. He got up and started to pace, tapping his chin.

So, he can’t respond Shinso, that much is obvious. It’s gonna be a little hard to keep his mouth shut. Maybe if he just tapes his mouth shut it’ll help. He could ask Bre to goo his mouth shut. Never mind, back on topic. He needs to come up with a failsafe if he responds, some way to hurt himself. He can’t just pinch himself.

“Carter,” Kali said, flicking his forehead as he paced. “Your match is up in, like, five minutes.”

“Right,” Carter nodded, fidgeting with hands, “right. Hopefully, this goes well.”

“If not, I’ll see you in the infirmary,” Kali snorted.

“C’mon Kali, just be normal and wish me luck,” Carter whined.

“Break an arm,” Kali deadpanned.

Carter sighed. “There’s no winning with you, is there?”

“Nope! Now get your short butt out there and win so I can fight you!”

Carter grumbled but headed out anyway. He adjusted his glasses as he walked out onto the field. In place of the grass was a stone battlefield. He could do this. Easy peasy. Just don’t talk. 

“The first match!” Present Mic shouted out. “He started out with a bang and remained at the front ever since even after he lost the ten million headband, it’s Carter Laffitte, from the hero course!”

Shinso stood across from him, looking him over. Carter couldn’t help but smile nervously at him. He rolled his eyes. Bitch.

“Sorry, but this guy hasn’t really done anything to stand out yet! It’s Hitoshi Shinso, from General Studies!”

Okay, Mic was being kinda rude, but Shinso deserved it.

“The rules are simple! Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them, or getting to say ‘I give up’! Bring the pain! We’ve got our good old Recovery Girl on standby! And fight dirty if you must! ‘Ethics’ have no meaning here!”

Good, he was good at fighting dirty. Throat punches and blowing people up was his specialty.

“Well, of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You’ll be disqualified! Because a true hero’s fists only when in pursuit of villains!”

“‘I give up’, huh?” Shinso said. “Get it, Carter Laffitte? This battle’s going to test your strength of will. If you’ve got any kind of vision for your future, there’s no sense in worrying about how you get there. Like that spineless classmate of yours babbling on about his stupid pride.”

He’s baiting me, Carter realized. He’s trying to rile me up and get me to respond.

“What kind of dumbass throws away a chance like this?” Shinso smirked as Mic called for the match to start. Carter bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. He’s not particularly close with Ethan, but he’s still his classmate.

Carter let the pixels growing in his palm - hidden from Shinso - bubble, just under the surface, ready to lash out. Shinso narrowed his eyes. They started to circle each other.

“Are you not gonna say anything?” Shinso prompted. “Do you agree with me about your classmate?”

Carter did not reply. He didn’t say anything as the glitches grew and grew, bubbling like boiling water. His fingertips tingled but didn’t hurt. 

“Wow, you’re selfish, aren’t you? Not even bothering to defend your classmate, your _friend_. I’ve seen your quirk. I’ve seen how powerful it is, how flashy it is. I’ve had to struggle every second to get where I am right now and you’ve never had one misstep, have you? You were probably a popular kid in school.”

Carter thought back to his middle school. He thought back to the empty birthday parties with just his mother, his father and siblings in America. He thought back to all the whispering behind his back. He thought back to all the taunts, to all the harassment he got from his peers for having a quirk that not only came in late but hurts him when uses it. He thought back to the failed friendships and the stood-up dates.

He thought back to his bleeding and glitching hand and the doctor telling him that if he ever had a quirk, it would kill him the instant it developed. All the hospital visits to try and understand why his late quirk was killing him.

And he saw _red_.

Carter ran at Shinso. He unleashed the built-up glitches, an explosion ringing through the stadium. He felt the exact moment that Shinso let go of his quirk as he yelped and tried to dodge.

“Done talking?” Carter asked with a scowl. “Great. Listen to me Shinso: you’re not the only person who’s ever struggled. Everybody’s been knocked back at least once in their life, you’re not special. Sure, it sucks that you’re in General Studies when you wanted to be in Heroics, but you don’t need to bully other people to get into Heroics. Life sucks. Get over it.”

Carter threw more glitches. Dust blasted around the field, making it hard to see. Carter darted in and punched Shinso in the throat. The other choked and stumbled back.

Shinso growled and threw his own punch. Carter leaped to the side and behind Shinso, grabbing Shinso’s extended arm and throwing him over his shoulder. 

A whistle cut through the air as the dust cleared. Shinso was still on the ground as Carter stood up fully, panting. His fingers twinged and he didn’t need to look to know they were glitched out slightly. 

“Shinso is out of the ring!” Midnight called out. “Laffitte moves onto the next round!”

They both moved to the middle of the clearing and bowed. Shinso looked like he smelled something disgusting.

“Goodness gracious! We’re off to an eventful start! Well, put your hands together for these fierce competitors!”

The stadium clapped for them but Carter found himself standing still as he watched Shinso turn around and walk off the stage. He really should get back to the break room but...

“Shinso, wait up!” He said, running to catch up with the Gen student. Shinso kept walking, ignoring him, but he wasn’t persuaded. Kali pulled this move on him all the time, it would take much more than ignoring him to get him to leave the other alone.

“Your quirk doesn’t define you,” Carter said, placing a hand on Shinso’s shoulder. Shinso stilled but said nothing. “Villainous quirk or not, it depends on how you use it. My friend has a ‘villainous quirk’ and she’s in the hero course. Plus, I heard that there are two empty seats in class 1-A.”

“I’ll be a hero,” Shinso said finally. “I’ll be the best hero. And next year, I’ll beat you.”

Carter smiled, “I look forward to it.”

“Has anyone told you you’re annoying?”

“All the time!” Carter chirped. He didn’t give Shinso the chance to respond before he ran off in the direction of the break room where his friends were waiting. Maybe one-day Shinso could be included on that list of friends.


	2. Fighting Class 1-B (and others)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other fights of the first bracket.

“Who’s next?” Carter asked as he sat down next to his friends. Kali was sprawled across two chairs, her legs resting on Kimi’s lap who seemed like they had just given up on everything. Bre sat next to them with Destiny behind her.

“Lara and Charlie,” Bre said. “My bet’s on Charlie. He’s pretty chill.”

“Don’t you mean pretty _hot_?” Carter grinned.

“Eyy!” Bre laughed, shooting finger guns as Kali and Kimi groaned in despair. 

“That was awful!” Destiny giggled.

“Thank you, I try.”

“The wait is over! Moving on, here they are!” Mic shouted. “The cream of the crop! With a quirk as eerily similar to Endeavour’s, no wonder this guy has managed to stay at the top! It’s Charlie Scott of the hero course! Versus the girl who’s managed to prove her worth in the Obstacle Course, it’s Lara Viray also of the hero course!”

“Who do you think’s gonna win?” Destiny whispered.

“It’s gonna be Lara,” Carter said.

Whatever Destiny was gonna say was drowned out by a blast of wind that erupted down the side of the stage, cracking it as Charlie was thrown back. He caught himself with his fire and flew back into the battle. 

It was quickly clear that it was a losing battle. Every time Charlie tried to produce fire, it would be quickly extinguished by Lara’s winds. Not to mention that he couldn’t even get close to her before being blasted away.

“Not only does she have the better quirk, but she also has the better reason to fight,” Carter said, watching her fight. “I wasn’t sure until after her talk with me, but she has a reason to fight extra hard.”

The match did give him a good excuse to analyze her battle style. She didn’t like to get up close, a direct contradiction to his style of fighting close-up. She used big blasts of winds to knock the opponent away.

Carter frowned as he watched Charlie get knocked away once again. He wasn’t winning this.

“Fight me!” Charlie screamed, obviously annoyed with the defensive position that Lara was taking. He rushed in and- he shouldn’t have done that. 

Charlie was knocked back once more but he didn’t recover in time for him to be blasted out of the stone clearing. Lara won the match. 

“Lara Viray moves on to the next round!” Midnight called out.

Bre patted his back sympathetically, “I’ll mourn at your grave.”

~~~ 

“Class B’s assassin! Every something-or-other has it’s thorns, right?! It’s Ibara Shiozaki! Versus the muscle queen who proves that strength gets you far, class A’s Kacey Gador!”

Ibara whirled around, facing the commentary booth with a frown. “Pardon my objection, but what exactly do you mean by ‘assassin’? I have merely come this far seeking victory...”

“Oh my god, who put a stick up her ass?” Kali groaned. 

“That’s kinda on brand with her whole leaf thing,” Carter snickered.

“Don’t-“ Kimi threatened, brandishing their stingers in a warning. 

Carter looked back at the match just in time to see Kacey get tangled up in Ibara’s vine with no way to escape.

“But it’s already over!” Even Mic sounded surprised. “In case you didn’t hear me, it’s already over!”

Bre spluttered at the anti-climatic fight. “That can’t be it!”

“Didn’t you hear Mic? He even repeated it for you,” Destiny teased. 

“Shiozaki advances to the second round!”

“Yes, I have not wasted the opportunity bestowed upon me...”

“Hey Kali, shouldn’t you be getting down there?” Carter asked.

“Oh shit-“ Kali’s eyes widened and she scrambled off the chair, rushing out of the stands. All of them cackled.

~~~

“Moving on, who’s next in the battle for the top? The first round’s just about half over! Next up is Kali Herrera of the hero course! Versus Hatsume Mei of the support course, who is covered head-to-toe in support items!”

Kali slowly pulled off her leather gloves and stuffed them in her pockets. “No harsh feelings, right?” She drawled.

“I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t take me up on my support item suggestions,” Hatsume frowned. 

“I already have support items. My gloves, remember? Plus, it’s not really fair if all I’ll do is melt your equipment,” Kali smirked, waving her fingers. Hatsume drew her items closer to her. 

“Start!”

Kali and Hatsume eyed each other. Kali seemed content to let Hatsume come to her, which Hatsume eventually did. Fortunately for Kali, it seemed that the support course student was more focused on showing off her equipment than actually fighting, but that showing off was hard when every time she got even close to Kali, those support items melted into nothing just by a touch.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Hatsume was getting frustrated and it, admittedly, was incredibly funny. Carter had no doubt that she was probably going to throw the match at the start once she was content with showing off her ‘babies’ but now she seemed to actually wanna fight Kali.

“Stop destroying my babies!” She yelled.

“Stop showing off and fight me!” Kali snarled, darting in and corroding her goggles. Hatsume shrieked and threw them off of her. Kali shoved into her side with an elbow and Hatsume fell off balance and landed on the ground harshly. 

Kali placed her hands on either side of Hatsume’s face in a clear warning. Hatsume looked around before sighing and raising her hands up in surrender.

“I can’t move,” she said. 

“Hatsume has been immobilized! Herrera moves onto the next round!” Midnight called out. The crowd in the stadium muttered, seeming unhappy with that win. Carter tensed up and scowled, Kali had won that fair and square. It’s not her fault Hatsume didn’t wanna win the match in the first place. 

~~~

“Next up is two more hero course students! He’s a plant user like Kamui Woods, it’s Owen Miles! Versus the shadow puppeteer Peter Vlahos!”

Owen and Peter finger gunned each other and Destiny sighed heavily. 

“Start!”

Immediately, Owen’s shadow came out of the ground to attack him, but Owen was already halfway across the field, shooting towards Peter with his wood. 

Peter’s shadow came up and blocked a branch but another hit him from behind. 

Carter watched the two, analyzing their fighting styles. He doesn’t know if he’ll have to face them eventually. Owen went in for direct attacks, unlike Kamui Woods who preferred to fight from a distance while Peter was using his shadows on the defensive.

Use the shadows the branches are making, Carter wanted to shake him and scream. Peter was smart, he could do this. 

~~~

Peter was going to the Disappointed Carter™ look the next time he saw him. Really, Owen shouldn’t have been able to win that. Kali walked back out just as the match finished and looked so tired when she saw Peter knocked out.

Bre, who was sitting next to him, looked like she was having a crisis. “That fucking idiot,” She muttered.

“Yeah that pretty much sums it up,” Carter agreed. 

Destiny had left a while ago to go into the prep rooms to await her match. The Owen vs. Peter fight had surprisingly dragged on, mostly because Peter was being an idiot and didn’t use the wood’s shadows until the end of the fight and by then it was too late, so Destiny had a long time to think about strategy against Amelia who literally had an intelligence quirk. 

“Next up is blisteringly cold Destiny Mendez versus Amelia Fernsby who appears to have some sort of metal ball!”

Amelia looked like she would literally rather die than listen to Present Mic and, honestly, Carter could relate. He still wanted Destiny to kick her ass, though. 

“Start!”

Destiny crouched down and covered the entire stage in ice. Amelia jumped at the perfect time and angled her foot so when she fell down, it cracked the ice. 

“The ball, look at the metal ball,” Bre whispered to him, poking at his shoulder. He studied the ball and recognized that it was making a beeping sound. Could Amelia understand that? It was probably telling her the best way to fight. No wonder she had gotten this far!

Destiny sprang away as Amelia shot forwards, aiming for her. The two danced around each other for a while, Amelia always jumping at the right time and cracking the ice while Destiny dodged. 

Destiny leaped back to dodge when Amelia got in a lucky hit on her stomach. Destiny tumbled but got back on her feet, sending a wave of spikes over to Amelia. Amelia, of course, dodged, cracking one of the spikes as she landed and threw it at Destiny.

A wall of ice came up and the ice spear shattered into nothing. 

Amelia ran at Destiny once more but instead of dodging, Destiny stood up to her full height and stood perfectly still. Amelia threw a punch at her chest.

Then Destiny’s chest turned to ice. Oh. Oh wow. Carter knew her quirk made it so she was able to coat anything in ice, but Carter didn’t think that extended to _herself_.

“Could she do that, this entire time?” Bre asked weakly. 

“I think so,” Kali replied, frowning. 

Amelia stumbled back, clearly surprised, and Destiny took that as an opportunity to crouch down and encase her in ice.

Well, Destiny just won that match.

“Fernsby is immobilized! Mendez goes onto the next round!” Midnight sounded delighted. Probably ‘cause that was an eventful match. Whatever. Carter’s just happy Amelia lost. Call him petty. No ‘but’, he’s just petty.

Kimi was up next and they had been chilling in the prep room all match. They looked like they were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

“Next up are rivals from class A and B! It’s the stingin’ player Kimi Bohl versus the steely will-powered Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!” Mic announced. Bre got up and left to prep for her own match. Carter muttered a ‘good luck’ before turning his attention back to the ground.

The class 1-B kid from the crowd that had gathered outside their classroom walked onto the stage and Carter found himself looking away. He wrinkled his nose as he heard the student - Tetsutetsu - taunt Kimi.

“You’re stingers will do nothing against me!” He sneered, pounding two steel fists against each other. As much as he hates to admit it, Carter thinks Tetsutetsu might be right.

Kimi’s paralytic stingers will do jack shit against him if he can turn to steel and their explosive stingers aren’t that powerful. Kimi knows that, too, as they don’t respond, simply taking a fighting stance.

“Start!” Present Mic called out, and Carter already knows the match has been decided when Kimi throws an explosive stinger and the clouds clear and Tetsutetsu is standing there, unharmed.

“Is that all you’ve got?!” Tetsutetsu taunted, running at Kimi.

Kimi threw the stinger at the ground, the explosion knocking Tetsutetsu away from them. This only succeeds in making the class 1-B student angrier, though, as he growls and runs at Kimi again. 

Kimi ducked out of the way of what would’ve been a nasty punch and kicks him in the shin. Tetsutetsu snarled and threw an elbow at their unprotected side. Kimi danced back, hitting Tetsutetsu’s ankles, causing him to fall down. They throw more stingers before Tetsutetsu rockets off of the ground and smashes into Kimi.

Carter winced as Tetsutetsu punched Kimi in the jaw and his friend fell limp onto the ground.

“Bohl is unconscious! Tetsutetsu moves onto the next round!”

“Well, that was unsatisfying,” Kali said sympathetically. 

“There wasn’t much that they could’ve done,” Destiny pointed out. “Kimi’s just at a natural disadvantage.”

“They probably would’ve been fine just fighting practically quirkless, but Tetsutetsu’s quirk would’ve made physical contact a pain,” Carter added, “literally.”

“Unless you hit his fleshy part,” Kali said.

“He can turn his whole body to steel,” Carter replied. Kali shrugged and moved her legs so Kimi could sit down when they came up.

~~~

Bre stood on the other side of the stone stage. A determined look was on her face. Ava stretched, looking equally as determined.

Both came from hero families. Ava’s family was a lot less well-known but if you did your research, you could definitely find them. Both had something to prove. 

“Don’t take it personally when I win,” Bre said.

“Start!” Present Mic shouted. The match began.

Ava immediately shifted into a hawk, flying high above the arena. Bre watched, not moving a muscle. 

Ava shot down with a cry as Bre rolled out of the way. A glob of goo was thrown onto one of her wings. Ava startled, flying high once more as she tried to get rid of the chunk of slime on her wing. Bre waited patiently.

The other finally gave up on trying to get it off, simply electing to shift into a lion. She roared and charged at Bre. 

Bre threw some slime onto the ground and leaped out of the way as Ava got caught on it. Ava thrashed in her trapped position, trying to get her foot out. She shifted into a gorilla and tried to pull her arm out. It was for nothing, though, as more and more slime piled around her, Bre working quickly while circling her to stay out of harm's reach.

Ava kept shifting, trying to get out of it. Until, finally, she was fully encased and forced fo to shift back to human while covered in goo. Bre smiled triumphantly.

“Newsome is unable to battle! Clements goes onto the second round!”


	3. Air Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second bracket begins!

“How long do you think Carter is going to last?” Bre asked.

“My money’s on one minute,” Kali said.

“Are you joking? He could easily last two minutes, nothing more,” Kimi said.

“Guys!” Carter whined. “You aren’t helping! I’m already nervous about this!”

“Good,” Kali said, “you’re going to die out there.”

“Be nice to him,” Destiny scolded before turning to Carter. “I think you’re going to do great, CJ.”

Carter blushed as Bre made a gagging motion. “Th-thank you- wait did you just call me CJ?”

Destiny laughed, “I think it’s a cute nickname.”

Oh god, Carter was going to pass out. Thank you, Bre, you miracle worker. Bre looked like she might pass out for a completely different reason.

He waved goodbye as he got up and left the room. He passed Lara on his way to his side of the stadium. She stopped and gave him an acknowledging nod while he gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. 

Carter shook out his hands like he could shake out the nervousness he was feeling. He saw what happened to Charlie when he underestimated her. She didn’t get third in the quirk test for nothing. Of course, Ava got second and Bre absolutely destroyed her, but that was more Ava’s lack of skill than anything. 

Present Mic started shouting once more, a signal for Carter to walk out. He took a deep breath and felt his feet carry him outside. Just a couple more rounds and he would be good to go. He just needed to take one step at a time, one win at a time.

Lara stood across from him, flexing her fingers. Carter crossed his arms in an attempt to hide that his hands were shaking.

“Your mother might be watching,” Carter said evenly, “but you’re doing this for yourself.”

A flash of uncertainty flickered across Lara’s face. That’s good, he can use that. He might have been talking to her earlier to understand her and make her feel better, but if he can play her like this - making it easier to win, well, they did say he could fight dirty. He’s essentially poking a bear with a stick. Except instead of just provoking the bear, he’s both provoking it and making it _sloppy_. An angry enemy is an enemy that can’t think straight. 

That’s what his mother taught him, anyways. With a quirk that hurts him and villain attacks common in their area, Mom taught him how to dodge a punch. It’s invaluable not only in a villain fight but against the schoolyard bullies who thought they could pick on the quiet kid. 

He’s broken a few noses to defend himself before. 

When the buzzer sounded, Lara immediately went into action, throwing up a blast of air. Chips of broken stones rocketed out of the ground, heading straight towards him. He teleported cleanly out of the way. The stone arena dug into his palms as he somersaulted to land safely behind Lara.

Lara whipped around and sent another gust of wind and Carter gritted his teeth, using his glitches to propel himself up into the air above the wind. He teleported down, sending a punch right into Lara’s back.

She stumbled, kicking him in the knee to throw him also off balance. He leaped backward to avoid another hit. He’d have to end this quickly before she got the chance to wear him out. 

“Is that really everything?” He taunted. It was a risky move, sure, but he needs her to stop playing defensive. “That’s everything your mom is pushing for? No wonder she puts so much pressure on you.”

A blast of air knocked him back and he folded his arms over his eyes. He teleported out of the way and lowered them cautiously. Lara was visibly shaking, panting.

A smile curled on his face. _Good_.

Wind smacked at him, pushing against him as if it’s begging him to fold back, to be knocked down. He stood his ground, his shoes digging into the floor. 

Lara lashed out again, going on the offensive, while Carter settled for merely dodging the harsh blows. If Lara got too aggressive or too cocky, he could play that to his advantage. Right now, he needs to wear her out, like she was trying to do earlier. 

Cheers echoed through the stands as he tilted backward, almost falling out of bounds. He quickly recovered, sending a kick into her lower back.

“Try to catch me,” he smirked, slightly singing in a child-like tone. Mocking her was the way to go. “It’s not like your mom is watching, it’s not like a whole audience is watching.”

Carter teleported in close, “it’s not like all of Japan is watching.”

 _Smack_.

An elbow smashed into his face and he recoiled sharply. First of all, _ow_! Second of all, _OW_! He held up a hand to his nose as he instinctually teleported a couple of feet away. Carter lowered his hand. It came back bloody. Did she fucking break his nose?

Hardcore. She’s angry. No, not angry, she’s absolutely pissed. 

Pebbles scratched at his skin as another blast of wind hit him square in the face. If he can somehow get her out of the arena, he can win this. Knocking her out isn’t an option, he’ll never get close enough. Same thing with immobilizing her, not that he has something to immobilize her with. 

Clutching his (probably) broken nose in one hand, he let his glitches manifest right under the skin of his palm, heat bubbling like a cool fire brushing alarmingly close. It was starting to hurt. This fight was going on for too long, he was overusing his quirk. He would start bleeding soon, and not just from his nose.

“Something wrong?” He asked innocently as the wind stopped, revealing her standing there, panting like she had run a mile. She scowled at him, taking a fighting stance. “You look a little-“ he waved his hand vaguely- “frustrated. Is that the word? Did your mother call you before this fight?”

“Shut. Up,” Lara growled as she raised her hands. Carter saw his opening.

Lara threw a blast of air at him, smashing the stone ground. He teleported out of the way, his arms feeling like they were tearing apart. They were becoming unstable. 

He teleported in front of her and swept her legs right before he was blown away. Her own air propelled her, sending her flying backward. 

Lara crashed into the ground, sliding a good couple feet out of bounds. Her breaths stuttered visibly. Carter drew himself up fully, his fingers glitching out, and smiled. He won.

“Viray is out of bounds, Laffitte goes onto the next round!”


	4. Fuck All Might

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Might’s a liar and I’m not taking his shit.

Bandages were wrapped around his forearms and hands. He didn’t like how much it reminded him of the days after the USJ. The tingling sensation, not unlike pins and needles, continued even after Recovery Girl had kissed him and wrapped his arms. It was nearly overwhelming, feeling this almost-pain after going so long feeling nothing but calmness resting under the skin. No pixels boiling, ready to erupt. 

Carter was sitting down outside the office. Lara had long since left, her injuries only minor. Nothing kept him there, but he felt the need to remain. To stay.

He knew that Kali was fighting Ibara right now. Or maybe not. Maybe the fight was already over and Destiny wad fighting Owen. He knew he should be out there, cheering for his friends. His arms hurt.

“Something wrong, my boy?” A voice asked. “You’ve been staring at nothing for five minutes now.”

Carter looked up from the floor and saw All Might in his deflated form. Or natural form. Unnatural form? He wasn’t quite sure. 

“I think my arms are numb,” he blurted. “Or they fell asleep. It feels weird.”

All Might nodded silently, moving to sit next to him on the bench. “Do you know why?”

Carter shot him an odd look, “do I know why what? Why my body reacts so weirdly to me using my quirk? You’re my teacher, you should know why.”

“I’ll admit, I’m not the best teacher, but your quirk’s backlash is not on file, at least, not on my file,” All Might said. “Maybe Aizawa knows, but it’s not in my job to question him. My job is battle training, Aizawa’s is quirk training.”

He nodded. That made sense. Or he thought that made sense. The pain meds Recovery Girl gave him made his brain all fuzzy. 

“I’m supposed to be quirkless, y’know?” He mumbled. 

“Quirkless?” All Might asked. 

Carter hummed in response. “Yep, extra toe joint and all. Quirk didn’t come in until I was ten. Doc says that any other quirk might’ve killed me. _This_ quirk could’ve killed me.”

“A medical marvel,” All Might breathed. “I was the same.”

Carter blinked. “You were the same. You, All Might, really?”

“Toshinori Yagi,” All Might said.

“Toshinori...Yagi? Wait you told me your name after the USJ.” 

“I did,” All Might - Toshinori - confirmed, “but you still call me All Might for some reason. And yes, I was the same. Did you know my quirk came late? I was diagnosed quirkless, too.”

“Extra toe joint?”

“Extra toe joint.”

Carter sat on that, not saying anything. Truthfully, he didn’t know what to say. Toshinori was good at half-lying, apparently. Something was wrong with what he said, not all of it was true. He was definitely diagnosed quirkless but he shifted uncomfortably when he said his quirk came in late. No, not shifted - fidgeted. Toshinori was the number one hero, sure, but he was bad at lying.

“You’re lying,” he said, his tone flat.

“I’m lying?” Toshinori startled.

“Your quirk didn’t come in late, it was something else.” Carter stood up and looked away from the hero. “I’ll be honest, I’m curious, but at the same time, I don’t give a shit. Get better at lying, _All Might_. I’m gonna go watch my friends’ matches.”

Toshi- All Might said nothing as Carter walked away. The number one hero was full of shit. Who would’ve thought? 

A lot of people.

Including him.

~~~

“Where were you?” Bre asked, slurping a soda. Where did she get it? Carter isn’t sure he wanted to know how she somehow snuck that in.

“I was having an existential crisis and also talked to All Might. It was an experience. Who won what match?”

Bre chose not to comment on the first part, instead choosing to slurp her soda some more and nod to the match currently going on in the arena. Owen was struggling to hold his own against Destiny, the stone arena almost completely coated in ice. Any minute now and the match would be won by Destiny.

“Did Kali win her match?” He asked.

“Are you implying that I could’ve lost?” Kali said dryly from behind him. She walked down the aisle and sat down in her previous spot, her hands twitching. “I’m insulted, really.”

“You never know. Don’t insult a bitch with twigs for hair.”

“I’ll snap _you_ like a twig.”

Bre interrupted them by slurping very loudly from her can of soda. Carter had to resist the urge to take it from her. Kimi watched with feigned interest, keeping an eye on the one-sided match going on in the arena. 

“Do you know where Lara is?” Carter asked.

“Came out for, like, two minutes before leaving to go somewhere,” Kimi said, waving their hand around vaguely. “Why, do you need something from her?”

“Maybe her pu-“ Bre was cut off by Kali slapping a hand over her mouth. Carter blinked.

“Are you gonna go look for her?” Kali asked loudly over Bre’s muffled protests. 

“Nah, she’s probably off brooding somewhere,” Carter decided, sitting down next to Bre. “I’ll talk to her later.”

There was a loud _snap_ of ice and when he looked over, Owen was completely encased. He looked so uncomfortable, like an upside-down turtle. Midnight quickly called the out and Destiny left the stage with a giant grin on her face. He felt his heart swell at how happy she looked. She deserved this win.

Bre shot him a knowing look and moved seats so there was an empty chair next to him. He scowled, ignoring the blush that was probably on his face. 

“Don’t look so grumpy, lover boy,” Bre whispered, raising her eyebrows suggestively. He scowl deepened and his face was absolutely red by now. 

“Is Carter alright?” Destiny asked, seemingly appearing next to them. “Is he sunburned?”

He squeaked and leaned backward while Bre snickered. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice an octave higher than normal. “She’s just teasing me.”

“Lay off, Bre,” Destiny said playfully, taking a seat next to him. “Besides, your match is in two minutes.”

“Oh, shit,” Bre said, jumping out of her seat and booking it out of the stands. Carter looked over to Kali and she shrugged. Bre was either entirely punctual or fifty minutes late.

“They’re going to start the match without her,” Kimi said, somewhat smugly. Maybe they just didn’t like the fact that they lost to Tetsutetsu. 

Carter leaned back in his seat, getting comfortable as he watched Bre enter the field. The third bracket would be soon and he would be fighting Kali. And she wouldn’t go easy on him.


	5. Kali Might Be Nice? Up For Debate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against Kali.

The fight didn’t last as long as Carter was expecting it to. Sure, Bre was an incredibly good fighter and knew how to use her quirk effectively, but Tetsutetsu’s quirk should’ve made the fight basically a big stall-fest. But it didn’t. The fight still lasted long and it was a good fight, but Carter was suitably impressed with how fast it was over. 

The break was over as quickly as it came and soon, he was out on the field again except instead of Lara on the other side, it was Kali. She still had her gloves on and was pulling at them anxiously. He could tell she was unsure.

If he was honest, her quirk scared him. Not like Shigaraki’s did back at the USJ. In fact, he can’t quite remember how he felt when he saw Shigaraki’s quirk. All he can really remember is the numb sensation of blood trickling out of him, the fuzz that clouded his head as he watched All Might deflate, the buzzing in his veins. He knew he felt something related to fear when he saw Shigaraki’s quirk, but Shigaraki didn’t feel real. 

Shigaraki was like a ghost. He didn’t truly exist. He was there for a couple of hours and then gone, nothing but a memory. He might’ve bled out from the gunshot wounds Snipe had inflicted. 

But Kali and her quirk, she was very much real. She was his best friend, his first friend in a long time. She was smart, sarcastic, funny, and the perfect material for an underground hero. Her quirk was dangerous, though. It could easily kill him. It could easily kill anyone. 

“Take the gloves off,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. She seemed to hear him as her hands twitched but she made no move to take the gloves off. Kali may act big and tough, but he knew that she was still scared of hurting him.

He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. “Take off your gloves.”

Kali pursed her lips. He nodded to her gloves, hoping she would take the hint. She pulled at the hem of her gloves. 

Kali’s quirk scared him. It terrified him. But he wasn’t letting this match be thrown away because Kali couldn’t hurt a friend. 

“You don’t have anything for me to corrode,” Kali protested quietly. “It’ll just hurt you.”

“My quirk’ll hurt you, too. Do you want to be fighting me when you’re holding back? Think of how that’ll look on camera. Even if you beat me, it doesn’t matter. You didn’t give me a fair fight,” Carter replied, shifting his stance.

Mic announced the beginning of the match but Carter paid it no mind. His earlier thoughts seemed to be wrong. She was going to half-ass this fight. She was going to easy on him.

Neither of them moved a muscle. Kali refused to take her gloves off and Carter refused to fight her like this.

“Take your gloves off,” he scowled, feeling -probably irrational - irritation flare-up. 

“No,” Kali said shortly. 

“I swear to actual God, Kali, I’m gonna kick your ass after this stupid festival if you don’t take off your damn gloves right now.”

“CJ, you’re as threatening as a third-grader.”

“Again, offensive to third-graders. Offensive to those five-foot-two third-graders who terrorized middle school me.”

“Middle school you sounds like a wimp.”

“Right now you sounds like a wimp.”

“And it appears that the two contestants are just chatting!” Mic shouted. “When will the fight actually begin?!”

“Hold on a second, cockatoo!” Kali shouted back, glaring at the commentary box. 

“He’s right, though. Are we gonna fight?” Carter said.

Kali stared at him for a while, her eyes scanning him. For what? He’s not hesitating in this fight. He’s waiting for her to make a move. He’s waiting for her to take her gloves off.

And she does just that.

The leather gloves are stuffed into her pocket, her fingers flexing. He grinned. 

Kali made the first move, darting forward and slamming her hand onto the ground. The stone fizzled and hissed at it sunk down, creating a dip. She was going to use her quirk on the arena to give herself an advantage.

He dodged the fizzling stone and teleported behind her, knocking her back with a punch. She recoiled, putting her hand back onto the ground. It bubbled and corroded away, forcing him to glitch away. This was gonna take a while if she kept corroding the terrain. 

Carter pursed his lips, leaping back from another dip in the stone. He needed a way to stop her from altering the arena. But how? He couldn’t make her put her gloves back on and he didn’t have anything lever. Teleporting her out of bounds would make him go out of bounds and he couldn’t even get close enough to teleport her. 

He needed to knock her out without her touching him. He couldn’t get close to her, though. Maybe-

He glitched in close in, behind her. Carter tried to elbow her in the neck, a quick and easy way to knock somebody out, but she jerked out of his reach. He recoiled sharply but not fast enough as she grabbed his glasses.

He teleported away, stumbling slightly as the world went blurry. Fuck. Now he couldn’t see.

He blinked several times in a fruitless attempt to clear his vision. He could only see around four feet ahead of him. Kali was only a messy blur of colours, hands unidentifiable from the chest. Or from the hips. Or the legs. Maybe the head? He can barely tell the blue gym suit from her skin. 

“Something in your eye?” Kali smirked. Or it sounded like she was smirking. She was probably smirking.

“You’re gonna have to pay for that!” Carter growled. “Prescription glasses are expensive!” 

Kali said nothing but waved a hand around. Maybe it was a hand. He scowled. 

“Yes, I corroded your glasses,” Kali drawled. “I turned your expensive glasses that you’re so protective of into a pile of goo.” She waved around a blur of peach. 

“Kali if you’re trying to show me something I can’t see it.”

He glitched up close to her and moved to restrain her hands. A red object came into view as he grabbed at empty air. His glasses - oh thank god they weren’t goo - were thrown carelessly to the side as she dodged him. She had put a glove on her right hand so she could grab them.

An elbow caught him in the side and he stumbled back. Damn it. He had to get close. Baring his teeth, he leaped at her again. His right hook caught her face and her elbow hit him in the shoulder. 

Carter flashed out and hit her knee with his foot. Kali yelped and fell back. He took the opportunity to hit her in the jaw, pushing her to the ground. Kali struggled but he managed to get her onto her stomach. 

He slammed his elbow into the back of her neck. Kali went limp.

“Herrera has been knocked out! Laffitte moves on to the final round!”

Carter shakily stood up, running high on adrenaline and out of breath. That was tough. She might not have been able to punch him, but she could elbow _hard_. 

He watched with triumph? Satisfaction? Happiness? He didn’t quite know. But he watched as Kali was carried off on a stretcher to Recovery Girl’s office. He was moving on to the final round. He could actually win this.

Carter picked up his discarded glasses. There was dirt and dust and cracked stone across the lenses. At least they weren’t broken. He put them on and frowned. He’d have to clean them later.

Look at him now. He didn’t even wanna join the hero course and now he’s about to win the Sports Festival to impress a bunch of pro heroes. His hand was glitching out like no tomorrow, his fingertips buzzing unpleasantly. He hoped the pro heroes watching liked the show.

“Hope this is entertainment enough, fuckwads,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders, walking off the stone stage. “I’m not getting my ass kicked for y’all fuckers to say that I’m too weak.”

The cheering crowd eventually grew quiet as he entered the stands. He trudged his way up the steps. Crackling static filled his ears as he walked to Recovery Girl’s office. She had to see him probably too soon.

Maybe Kali was still there. Maybe All Might was still there. If he runs into that narcissistic bastard again, he _will_ punch him in the face. No regrets.

“I’ve got ‘I’m going to fucking die’ disease,” Carter mumbled. “Also known as the number one hero is an asshole.”


	6. Broken Noses and “Maybe”s

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to the infirmary sucks.

“Did you really have to knock her out?” Kimi scolded. “Why didn’t you yeet her out of the ring.”

“I thought about it,” Carter said. “But then she tried to melt my glasses and I said ‘fuck it’. She also hit my nose.”

“Damn, that was rude of her,” Kimi said, turning their attention to the two students standing across from each other on the arena. This was gonna be an interesting fight. He wasn’t sure who he wanted to win. Probably Destiny just to spite Bre. 

He clenched his hands, trying to ignore the stinging pain that was lingering around. He had to just wait it out. He saw Kimi watching him out of the corner of his eye.

“You know,” they said slowly, “maybe you should go see Recovery Girl...”

“No,” Carter snapped, “I need to watch this fight if I wanna win this.”

“If you wanna win this you gotta be in the best shape. Plus, I’m pretty sure you have a broken nose,” Kimi said, elbowing him in the ribs. He grumbled, glaring at them. His ribs still hurt from the last fight. Kimi looked smug that he had unwillingly admitted that he was hurting. “Go to Recovery Girl’s office before I drag out there myself.”

“I’ll miss the fight,” he said, knowing that the argument was already over. 

“And I’ll tell you who wins. Now, Recovery Girl. Shoo!”

He rolled his eyes but got up nonetheless. Better to go and not let Kimi get on a rant. They did those often when they were worried. He didn’t like worrying people. Mostly because it felt selfish if that makes sense.

Maybe he’d run into Kali on the way there. He hoped she wasn’t too mad at him. She’ll probably laugh it off. Probably. 

Recovery Girl’s door was cracked open ever so slightly and he peered in. Kali was laying on a bed, unconscious with Recovery Girl hovering nearby next to a desk with a computer on it. Kali’s gloves were on.

“Come in, son,” Recovery Girl called out, not looking up from her computer as the keys clicked noisily. “I know you’re lingering out there.” 

Carter twisted his mouth in reluctance but entered in anyway. The door creaked as he opened it and sat on the tiny white bed next to Kali. He could see the bruises healing on her face and felt a stab of guilt. He didn’t need to hit her _that_ hard, right? Maybe.

So many maybes. Maybe that should be his motto. ‘Maybe’. Damn, he said - thought - it again. 

“How’s your hand?” The old woman asked, walking over to him using her cane. 

“Tingly,” he said. “Hurts a little bit.”

“More than a little bit, dearie,” Recovery Girl said, examining his hand. He felt a prickle of pain as she poked his fingers. “Your fingers are bleeding.”

He grunted in reply, not even feeling the slick blood on his fingers. She prodded a little more before kissing him on the forehead. 

The buzzing in his hands receded as fatigue set in. Laying back on the bed, next to Kali, the sheets smelling of disinfectant, he closed his eyes. Hopefully, he would wake up in time to prepare for his match. 

~~~

“Carter,” someone whispered, shaking him. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn’t be bothered to wake up. He was tired. 

“Carter!” The voice hissed again, shaking him more roughly. He groaned, swatting weakly at the hand.

“Lemme sleep,” he mumbled. “‘m tired.”

“Your match is up in fifteen minutes,” the voice (Kali? It sounds like Kali) said. “You need to wake up, dumbass.”

He groaned again and sat up, his shoulders slumping. Kali - it _was_ Kali - raised an eyebrow. She nodded to the door and he grumbled tiredly, standing up.

“You feel better?” She asked, walking ahead of him. “How’s your nose?”

“Not broken anymore. My hand isn’t unstable, so, yeah,” Carter yawned. “How do you feel?”

“My neck is a little sore but other than that, the nap helped a lot. And also the healing.” She rubbed the back of her neck in phantom pain. He nodded and climbed up the stairs.

“Who won the match?” He asked.

“Dunno, I was in the infirmary the entire time.”

“There’s a TV in the infirmary,” Carter pointed out. 

“It’s on mute and I’m not gonna start reading subtitles after a nap,” Kali said, walking down to the stands. 

Kimi was still there in the front and also Lara for some reason, though she sat in the back a couple of seats away from Destiny. Half of the class was there, stretching as they waited for the break to be over. The only person from his little friend group that was missing was Bre.

“Hey, CJ!” Destiny called out, waving at him with a bright smile. “Glad to see you’re feeling better!”

“Who won?” Kali asked curiously, sitting down next to Kimi. He sat in front of Destiny, leaving an empty spot for Bre.

“Destiny,” Kimi said. “It was a cool fight, though.”

“Where’s Bre? Did she go to the infirmary and leave before I woke up?” Carter asked.

“She got a phone call,” Destiny said. “Left to go take it.”

Carter frowned and turned in his seat, looking at the archway that led into the twisting hallways behind the stands. A call? He hoped everything was okay. 

“Your guys’ match is up in, like, ten minutes,” Kimi pointed out, nodding to the big countdown timer. Not that they needed to, he could see it very clearly, ticking down the seconds to his (presumed) death against Destiny.

“Hey, CJ,” Destiny said softly. He looked back and smiled. “I just wanna say, good luck. Give me a good fight, yeah?”

“Of course! Get ready to have your ass kicked!”

Destiny grinned, “just what I expect.”

Both of them stood up. She walked away and he lingered, his hands shaking slightly. He would be fighting his friend again.

The walk to his side of the stadium felt like his walk to a guillotine. A little dramatic, sure, but it was the last battle of the Sports Festival, give him a break. The stone arena came into view as the crowd went wild.

His heart thudded almost painfully as he stood across from Destiny. She was probably his first friend; she was the first person to talk to him when school first started.

Nobody had talked to him before Aizawa came into the room and even after. She was the first person to even say hello to him. 

Maybe that was why his heart sped up when he saw her. Maybe that was why he felt giddy when she complimented him. Maybe that was why they were standing across from each other, getting ready to fight. Only one person could be number one, now it was just the battle to determine who.

“At last, we’ve arrived! The best of the best among U.A.’s first-years will be decided! It’s the final match...”

Carter took a deep breath. Now or never. 

“Destiny Mendez VS. Carter Laffitte!!”

He shifted his feet. It’s go time.

“ **Now, start!!** ”


	7. The Final Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight of the Sports Festival! Who wins?

Ice snapped out of her fingertips as Destiny crouched down and touched the stone arena. Carter jumped up to avoid being encased. 

A spike of ice followed him as he jumped and he used that to kick off and propel himself forward. This was probably the most important battle in the entire festival. No, not probably, definitely. He’d have to play it safe. 

He needed to somehow avoid being on the ice-covered ground. Using his glitching to his advantage, he slid onto a weak part of the ice, it cracking under his sudden weight. 

Destiny whipped around to solidify it as he used the opportunity to launch at her. Right before his foot could connect, a wall of ice popped up.

“Shit!” he cursed as his foot slammed into the ice. His ankle gave a twinge of pain. Carter glitched back to the outer edge of the arena. This was gonna be harder than he thought.

He teleported above her, aiming to hit her on her exposed back, but she slipped away at the last second. His foot crushed the ice underneath him. Ice encased around his feet and he teleported away. 

He needed to distract her. Get her open.

Carter glitched up into the air again and threw a bunch of pixels at her. Predictably, she dodged, and he slammed down in front of her. His ankle protested as he lunged at her.

Destiny squirmed away, sending him flying with a hit to the stomach. He crashed onto his back, the ice biting into his skin. Ow. 

Stray ice crept up and he glitched away, feeling stray frost lingering. There was still a chunk of ice surrounding his ankle and he shook his leg. How was he gonna play this?

He took the time to step back and analyze the situation. She was gonna play defensive, that much was clear. Just like both Lara and Kali, she was trying to wear him. She knew about his quirk limit. 

If he could somehow limit her reach- no. That wouldn’t work. He needed her above the ground. He needed her to not be able to touch anything.

Aha!

He shot forward, feigning a charge. Destiny crouched down and sent up another wall of ice and he glitched behind her. Before she could turn around, he grabbed her by the arm and teleported them up into the air.

Destiny yelped in his grip kicked him in the crotch. He recoiled sharply and, before he could react, turned her body to ice.

He landed onto the ice with a sharp _thud_ and groaned. Destiny landed next to him, the ice covering herself shattering upon impact, and she groaned as well. 

He gritted his teeth and summoned pixels into his foot, kicking off the ground. The ice practically exploded, sending both of them sprawling back. 

He tumbled and managed to land in a crouch. Icy wind pummeled him and he hid his face behind an arm. 

Blinking away the blurriness, he searched the field. Across the stone arena was Destiny, her legs covered in ice as to be not blown away, panting slightly. 

He rubbed his numb nose (ice was _cold_ , dammit) and stared her down. It was a silent battle, a test to see who would strike first. He shifted his feet. Playing the defensive would help, she obviously focused more on the defensive than offensive and it would give him more opportunities to strike.

He could see the moment she made up her mind as she coated her entire body in ice.

She tried to tackle him to the ground and he glitched to the side. His arms glitched unsteadily in warning, but he ignored them, focusing on dodging her punches.

Carter kicked her in the side, throwing her off balance. His eyes landed on a discarded spear of ice from earlier in the fight and he grabbed it, slamming it into her side. The ice covering her torso cracked and crumbled, allowing him to hit her in the chest.

Destiny wheezed before covering her body once more. His fist hit ice and he cursed, teleporting back to avoid a kick to the face. If only his quirk allowed him to summon baseball bats. Oh, well.

Another discarded shard of ice laid on the side and he rushed over to it. His hands ached too much to ignore by now, so he resorted to running. Bad idea, he realized as his feet became stuck in the ice. 

Carter inhaled sharply as he teleported and picked up the shard of ice, teleporting back to Destiny and crushing the ice covering her. His hands screamed but he ignored it. He had to win this.

Destiny caught his arm and threw him over his shoulder. Once again he landed on his back. He took a moment to just breathe through the pain before pushing himself off and launching himself at her again. 

They exchanged blows, hers hurting him significantly more. He gathered a handful of pixels and threw them at the floor. Pushing through the gust of icy wind that exploded outwards, he tackled Destiny to the ground. 

The ice covering her body cracked as they slammed onto the floor. He felt cuts litter his body from the sharp pieces of ice that smacked him, but he carried on. He punched her in the face and felt the blood before he saw it. Ouch, did he just break her nose?

He didn’t notice her hands on the floor until it was too late. Ice suddenly appeared out of the ground and smacked him backward. 

Ouch, was his last thought as he tumbled off the ice-covered stage and landed head-first on the grass. Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: *crying* finally, the fight scenes are over
> 
> Bre: what about Stain
> 
> me: *cries harder*


	8. Yes, My Mom Exists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a while since you guys last saw Mamma Laffitte. Here she is, being a mom. I love my mom.

The first thing he noticed was that his entire body hurt. The second thing he noticed was the warmth - or more accurately, the coldness - of a hand on his. Destiny, his foggy mind supplied. Her skin was always cold to touch. She was holding his hand. 

He scrunched up his nose and squinted blearily at the bright lights. He has to stop ending up here. 

Carter took in a shuddering breath, wincing at the pain in his sides. His head throbbed along with his heartbeat and he could feel the bandages on his body.

“Hey, CJ. C’mon, prince,” a voice whispered. Destiny. It was hard to think with the cotton along his head. “You awake?”

“Mmm,” he hummed in reply. Destiny huffed a small laugh and rubbed his knuckles. 

He cracked his eyes open and looked down from the ceiling. There she was, sitting in a plastic chair next to his bed. She had an ugly bruise around her nose, but she otherwise looked unharmed. His mom sat in the chair next to her, asleep.

“What time is it?” He asked.

“Around six,” Destiny replied, still holding his hand. “Your mom fell asleep around thirty minutes ago.”

He gave a tired smile, “you won.”

“I did,” Destiny smiled brightly back, giggling slightly. “You broke my nose.”

“S’rry,” he mumbled. “Didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine,” she said. They sat in silence (or, in his case, laid) for a while. 

“How bad’s my face?” He asked.

“Not bad,” she said. “The main issue is your arms.” She tapped the bandages which lined his arms. “You gotta stop hurting them. You’re lucky you can still use them at this point. It’s self-destructive.”

“Hey, but I almost won,” he countered, a stupid grin on his face.

Destiny huffed in exaggerated exasperation. “Almost.”

“Then that’s good enough for me!” 

She swatted him lightly over the shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something else when his mom stirred. They both looked over as Mom yawned and stretched. Her eyes widened when she saw him awake.

“Carter!” She exclaimed, scooting her chair closer to the bed. Destiny took this as a sign to leave and winked at him as she left. He felt a blush creep along his cheeks. 

“How do you feel?” Mom asked, grabbing his hand. The coldness of Destiny’s skin faded away, replaced with his mother’s warmth. 

“I’m fine, Mom,” he said. “Plus, I got second.”

“That you did,” Mom laughed, wrapping him in a hug. He bit his lip to keep from groaning in pain as his arms twinged painfully. “Your father called me, he and your siblings were watching the entire thing.”

“I feel like Dylan would’ve found a way to get out of it,” Carter said.

“Not this! Chris made sure he was there. He’s very proud of you.”

His mom smiled warmly and he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. It had been a while since she was this happy. Of course, he probably ruined it by landing in this hospital bed, but she was still smiling.

“Is Dad gonna visit?” He found himself asking. Her smile faltered a bit. Shit, he missed this up. “I-I’m sorry- I didn’t-“

“Carter, it’s okay,” she reassured him. “He wants to, believe me. He wants to.”

Carter’s smile became strained as he realized what that meant. It had been a long while since he saw his father and his sister had moved out just a couple years ago to live with his dad. It was just him and his mom now. 

“That reminds me!” Mom said, perking up. “Your classmate left this for you. Viray, I think.”

His mom handed him a slip of paper with her number on it. Huh, that could come in handy. 

“Your friends are also waiting outside for you,” his mom continued, nodding to the door. “Recovery Girl said that as long as you take it easy for a day or two, you should be fine to go home.”

Getting out of this bed does sound nice. He rolled his shoulders and sat up. His head swam slightly for a couple of seconds, but the pain was mostly gone by now. Checking to make sure he wasn’t in a hospital gown, he got out of bed. 

Mom handed him a bundle of clothes and walked out of the room. He got dressed, just a simple t-shirt and jeans. When he walked outside, his friends were standing there, talking amongst themselves. Kali and Bre were having a heated argument about something, Destiny was on her phone, and Kimi was talking to Lara. Huh, Lara was here. He didn’t expect that.

“CJ!” Bre yelled, slamming into him. He grunted but returned the hug nonetheless. “Don’t collapse again! I’m tired of having to visit you in the hospital.”

“We’re not even in a hospital!” He protested, shoving her off of him. 

“Seriously, though,” Kali said. “This is giving me some deja vu.”

Carter rolled his eyes but fist-bumped her anyways. Kimi said hello briefly before Lara walked up to him. 

They eyed each other for a while. Was she gonna say anything?

“You’re an asshole,” Lara said flatly. “But I appreciate it.”

“Being a jerk is what I’m good at,” Carter grinned, acknowledging the watchful eye of his mother just across the room. Lara snorted and patted him on his shoulder before walking back over to Kimi.

“Do you think Aizawa is gonna be mad at me?” He asked Kali. Kali shrugged.

“If he is, I’ll keep him off for a while.”

“Kali, you casually threatening our teacher scares me,” Carter said. 

“I think that’s all she’s really good at,” Bre stage-whispered. 

“Whatever. Good job going out with a bang,” Kali rolled her eyes.

“I’m pretty that’s the only way I know how to lose,” Carter said, looking at his hands. “I never go quietly.”

“Have you tried?” Bre asked.

“Why the fu- hell. Why the hell would I go quietly in a fight?” Carter shrunk a little at his mom’s raised eyebrow. Hahaha, you saw nothing, Mom. Kali and Bre both laughed at him. Traitors.

“Let’s go home, Carter,” his mom sighed, hiding a smile.


End file.
